


Up in Flames

by StBridget



Series: Here Be Dragons [2]
Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Dragons, Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-22
Updated: 2017-08-22
Packaged: 2018-12-18 16:43:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11878614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StBridget/pseuds/StBridget
Summary: Jack really should have fireproofed his apartment.





	Up in Flames

**Author's Note:**

> MacGyver is property of CBS and its creators.
> 
> Horatio's back!
> 
> Loosely based on the prompt: "I come home from work and you set the spare couch on fire and built a kegerator in the living room?" "Uh, yes?" "Why didn't you wait for me to come home first?" Very loosely. :)

Jack was _so_ not prepared for a dragon.  He’d adopted Horatio on a whim—the poor thing was huddling in a shipping container, its mother had just flown off and left him, and Jack just couldn’t leave him behind.  The practicalities of living with a fire-breathing creature never occurred to him.

Until Horatio almost burned down the apartment.  Jack wasn’t even around when it happened; he and Mac were just over the border in Tijuana on an “observe and report” when the call came through.  Riley, back at headquarters, was the one who picked it up; she had an alert system set up to notify her when anything happened at one of the team’s residences.  When a she got a ping for a fire department call to Jack’s building, she immediately notified Matty.

“What have you got, Riley?” Matty said as she came into the command center.

“Fire alarm at Jack’s building,” Riley said.

“Do we know how bad?” Matty asked. 

Riley was tapping furiously on her keyboard.  “Not sure.  Getting details now.”  She accessed the 911 logs and read the details.  “Resident called in to report smoke.”

“So, for all we know somebody just burnt their toast,” Matty said.

Riley was still reading.  “Uh, Matty?  I think we have a problem.”

“Yes, Riley, what is it?” Matty asked.

“The smoke was coming from Jack’s apartment.”

“Shit,” Matty cursed.  “Get me someone on site.”  She crossed to the intercom and connected with her assistant.  “I need an agent dispatched to Jack Dalton’s apartment building, stat.”  She noticed Riley wasn’t doing what she asked.  “What are you waiting for?” Matty barked.

“What if it’s just an electrical short?” Riley asked.

“When an alarm goes off at one of my agents’ home, I have to assume it’s targeted.  Too many people want Jack dead.”  Riley was silent.  “What do you know?” Matty asked, suspiciously.

“Nothing,” Riley said, quickly.  Too quickly.  “It’s just. . .shouldn’t we tell Jack?”

“You think?” Matty said, snarkily.  “Why don’t you do that?  _After_ you get me someone on scene!”

Riley did as her boss asked, then opened communications to Jack.

“Riley, this is a bad time,” Jack said before Riley could get anything else out.

“It’s an emergency, Jack,” Riley said.

“Mission related?”

“No, personal,” Riley replied.

“Can’t it wait?  The suspect’s on the move, and we’re in pursuit.”

“No, Jack, it can’t!” Riley said, urgently.

Jack sighed.  “What’s so urgent that you have to interrupt me on a mission?”

“Your apartment’s on fire!” Riley said, nearly hysterical.  She lowered her voice so Matty wouldn’t hear.  “I think it might be Horatio.”

Matty heard her anyway.  _She must have ears like a bat_ , Riley thought.  “Who’s Horatio?”

There was silence on both ends of the line.  “I’m waiting,” Matty snapped, impatient with her agents.

“Horatio’s my pet,” Jack said, hoping that would satisfy the director.

It didn’t.  “What kind of pet starts a fire?  Some rat that chewed through the electrical wires?  Shouldn’t it be in a cage?”  More silence.  “Well?” she demanded.

“Not exactly. . .” Jack said.

“So, what is it?” Matty said, impatiently.

“Mypetdragon,” Jack said, all in one breath.

Matty cocked her head, as if that would make the words clearer.  “Excuse me?  I thought you said it was your pet dragon.”

“I did,” Jack confirmed.

“There’s no such thing as dragons.”

“Actually, there is,” Jack said, “and I have one.”

“You _what_?” Matty spit out, incredulous.

“Just a baby,” Jack hastened to reassure her.

“What on earth are you doing with a baby dragon?” Matty asked.  Jack started to answer, but she cut him off.  “Never mind, I don’t want to know.  Just get back here and take care of it.”

“But the mission. . .” Jack protested.

“Mac can take care of it,” Matty told him.  “Just get back here, _now_.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Jack said, meekly.

Matty motioned to Riley to cut the connection.  Riley obeyed.  “Do you have one of the fireman on the line?”

“Yeah, I have Commander Walker.  He’s in charge.”

“Good,” Matty said.  “He’s worked with us before.  Connect me to him.” Riley did as she was told.  “Commander, this is Matty Webber at Phoenix.”

“Director, I was wondering if I’d hear from you,” the Commander’s voice came back.  “Rumor has it one of your agents lives here.”

“That’s right,” Matty confirmed.  “In fact, it’s his apartment.  Any word on the status?”

“It’s out,” the commander replied.  “The sofa caught on fire.  We don’t know the cause yet.”

“I think I can shed some light on that.”  Matty explained the situation.  The commander didn’t believe her.  “Just go look,” she said.

The commander barked out orders.  Matty waited patiently while someone checked out the apartment.

“I’ll be damned,” the commander’s voice said a few minutes later.

“Let me guess, you found a dragon,” Matty said.

“Sure did,” the commander replied.  “Found him hiding in the closest.  Cute little thing.”

“Where is he now?” Matty asked.

“There was a carrier in the apartment.  We have him in that.”

“Great,” Matty said.  “I’ll send someone right over.”

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When Jack got back to Phoenix, he went straight to Matty’s office.  The director was waiting for him.  Horatio was in his carrier on her desk.  Jack went straight to him.  “Hey, boy, I hear you almost burned down the place.  You gotta control yourself.  You could have been hurt.”

“ _He_ could have been hurt?  What about all the other people in your building?”  Matty asked, incredulous.

“Them, too,” Jack acknowledged.

“Jack, do I have to tell you how dangerous it is to have a fire-breathing dragon in your apartment?”  Matty shook her head.  “I can’t believe I just said that.”

Jack hung his head.  “Yes, ma’am.  Sorry, ma’am.  It won’t happen again.”

“No, it won’t,” Matty said, “because you’re getting rid of that thing.”

“I can’t!” Jack exclaimed.  “What’s he going to do?  He has no one else.”

“There must be a dragon rescue or something,” Matty said.

Jack hugged the carrier protectively to him.  “Please, Matty.”

Matty sighed.  “Fine.  Just find some way to keep him out of trouble.  Keep him in his carrier or something.”

“I can’t do that!  How’s he going to get exercise?”

“Just do _something_ ,” Matty said.

“Yes, ma’am.”

Jack made his way out of the office, clutching the carrier.  His mind was whirring.  If he could just build Horatio a play area. . .He was sure Mac could come up with something.  Now, all he had to do was buy a new sofa.

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, we'll definitely see what Mac comes up with for Horatio. ;)


End file.
